Red Puzzle
by yukixed
Summary: "This is our past, present and future... This is... our story." -Kusanagi Izumo
1. Chapter 0: Red Encounter

Red Puzzle

Story by: Yuki

Author's words: Contains BL and does not follow the original animation.

* * *

A dark figure had been lying right in front of his bar and as the sun rose, the redhead opened his eyes which shone with a beautiful shade of amber. Izumo stared at him and sighed…

"Come on in."

The lone wolf was unwilling at first but after 5 minutes of being unable to move with his injuries and stuck in the cold, he forced himself to move inside the bar.

"I'll get the first aid kit, sit at the sofa or something. Ah, careful not to get any blood on the ground; I don't have time to clean up before opening hours."

"Tch!"

The redhead cursed as he struggled to sit on the sofa while leaving Izumo to get the first aid kit. He didn't have a choice because he was freezing outside and it seemed pretty much ridiculous to him that anyone would actually try to help him.

It was an ancient old bar with a hint of England style. Not too elegant nor classy but it had a warm feeling to it, one that did not disgust him.

"Hey you, what's your name?"

Izumo came down with the first aid kit and began to disinfect his wounds while questioning him. All the redhead did was respond to him with a face of annoyance and glared at him with absolutely no intention to tell answer.

"It's not like I want to know that badly so don't give me that face. Just that calling people "you" all the time is pretty rude so I was asking… Well, so how did you get all these injuries?"

The redhead glared at him again, unwilling to answer Izumo's questions.

"I guess you had a fight with some of the hooligans out there but look, take care of yourself and stop wasting your life out there."

"Shut up."

This time he responded but with a definite tone of anger. He never liked to be questioned or nagged at and Izumo was stepping on his landmine the whole time.

"I'm telling you…"

He felt the bandages tighten.

"STOP FIGHTING IN FRONT OF OTHER PEOPLE'S BAR! DO YOU KNOW HOW BADLY THIS IS GOING TO AFFECT MY BUSINESS?! I SPECIALLY IMPORTED THIS BAR FROM A PUB IN ENGLAND AND THE CLEANING IS ALREADY TOUGH AS HELL, DAMN YOU!"

Izumo exploded with so much anger that a dark aura was enveloping him from behind. His eyes shone with much aggressiveness as compared to the look he had before. Izumo was one who hardly loses his temper but he wasn't one to hold back after his landmine had been stepped as well.

"…"

In response to Izumo's reaction, the redhead let out a chuckle.

Standing up and preparing to leave as he opened the door, he spoke, surprisingly.

"Suoh Mikoto."

"Eh?"

"That's my name."

Izumo felt his heart skip a beat after seeing Mikoto's smile.

That was the day they had first met.

* * *

Yuki: Heyaaaa~ This is going to be my first series for K as I'm intending to write a long term one from the start to a designated ending I'm planning. Therefore, this fanfic will not follow majority of the plot from the manga or anime because most of the plots are inspired from images or ideas I have.

I'm so sorry if any of the characters turn out OOC because I don't have a clear grasp of the character concepts and Mikoto x Izumo is one of the pairings I have the most difficulty writing about due to the lack of emphasis between their relationship. I will try my best to fill the plots with my own imagination and depict a different ending though following the storyline of the anime itself to give the story itself a clearer overview.

Despite writing a oneshot fanfic(Red Flower) for Mikoto and Izumo already, I wanted to emphasize more on their relationship I suppose as it was a very light fanfic, in my opinion, which focused alot more on comfort rather than showing their relationship.

Thank you all for the reviews and favourites as per usual~ I owe big thanks to you all; knowing that you guys like my work is a really really sweet thing to me, thank you all so much.

I'll be updating from time to time so I'll see you next time~


	2. Chapter 1: Red Comrade

Red Puzzle

Story by: Yuki

Author's words: This fanfic does not fully follow the anime or manga.

* * *

Eight years ago, their first comrade joined them. It used to be the two of them but now they made three with Tatara Totsuka running in and out of Homra every single day.

The kid wasn't one to enjoy fighting and would probably get targeted the moment they got into a fight. Totsuka was powerless but he loved to hang around Mikoto and join them down at the bar for mini conversations before opening hours.

Izumo didn't mind Totsuka at all since it made the lone wolf have some sense of responsibility to take care of the young one who was too naïve for his own good. The constant increment of random items Totsuka bought irritated Izumo though; it was a hassle to find a place to keep all of them.

He let out a sigh unknowingly which caught Totsuka's attention.

"Are you perhaps irritated by me?"

"No, not at you personally at least."

He cleaned the cups skillfully, not leaving a single drip of water or dirt upon the sleek and clear glass which glistened upon the click of the door.

"Sorry, the bar is not opened yet—"

His eyes first fell upon the faces of the people who had came in.

All of them were obviously, up to no good with those scars and pissed off looks…

"Totsuka, take care of the bar for me."

"Eh? But—"

Izumo ushered all the men outside towards the dark alley.

"Tell us, where is Suoh Mikoto?"

"I don't know."

"Do you want to be beaten up?!"

"Try me."

He replied with a smirk of utmost confidence as his eyes reflected fearful expressions on their faces. Izumo's tone wasn't that of a joke but a real hint of anger to threaten his opponents. Nevertheless, they chose to fight despite fearing Izumo and got trashed until they could no longer stand. None of them managed to escape… Or rather, Izumo didn't let a single one of them escape.

"Leave and never come back for Mikoto again or I'll kill you."

His silhouette amidst the setting sun was a figure which striked fear in their hearts and they swore never to come close to his bar ever again.

"Yo."

Leaning against the wall in the alley, the redhead stared at him.

"Mikoto."

"Why did you fight them?"

"They dirtied my bar."

"Liar."

Mikoto muttered it under his breath and shrugged. That was the kind of guy Izumo was… He was one to be feared if anyone should incur his wrath and that had been perfectly proven through the events of that day.

"Let's get in and treat your wounds."

Mikoto reached out to Izumo and he took his hand.

That night, Izumo decided not to open the bar for business and cook for Totsuka and Mikoto instead…

Ignoring the fact that his bar was "ruined" and his hectic days were far from over, they were his most precious comrades, forever.

* * *

Yuki: I'm updating this chapter with much eagerness hahaha~ Well, I suppose although I labelled this as "angst", I do feel happy writing about happy tims in Homra as well...

Thanks for all reviews to the previous chapter. I will be updating this fanfic until I come up with a suitable ending~

Enjoy~


	3. Chapter 2: Red Jealousy

Red Puzzle

Story by: Yuki

Author's words: This fanfic contains BL and does not follow the original animation or manga.

* * *

Slowly, the people around Mikoto increased… Perhaps it was because of Tatara that his expression softened and Izumo was definitely happy for him; the lone wolf was finally not alone, he was appreciated for who he was. But as time passed, Izumo felt his heart squeeze tighter every second.

This was… for the best, isn't it?

Izumo enjoyed the company of the new guys although the bar was often messed up and noisy all time the time. Izumo had been alone from the start but now he had gained so much more so he won't ask for anything more.

_Just let time stop now, it doesn't matter how much my heart hurts. Even if it is a little lonely, at least I don't have to face the silence alone again._

He secretly prayed that the happy times would never change; he loved the way Mikoto unknowingly let his expression soften and melt away his stern looking face with a gentle smile. Izumo loved how the others looked up to Mikoto and were willing to stand up for him… He loved how Mikoto would protect them no matter what happened…

But somewhere in his heart, Izumo hoped that Mikoto could treat him a little differently from the others. It was a tiny wish to be special to the person most important to him but he knew that it was a wish that could never be fulfilled so he locked away his feelings.

"Martini. Four parts gin to one part vermouth…"

"Oui, Mademoiselle."

"And… five scoops of red bean paste, please."

"Oui—Wait, what?"

"I said, five scoops of red bean paste."

"Are you serious?"

"Why?"

"Nothing."

Kusanagi put on a dark face as prepared the Martini the lady was asking for… This was the first time he heard a customer ask for five scoops of red bean paste. Most customers asked for a scoop or two at maximum since the taste was quite strong…

"Here's your Martini, Mademoiselle."

She took the glass gracefully and had a taste of the Martini before mixing the red bean paste into the drink. Having a contented look on her face, Izumo let a chuckle escape his mouth and received a curious stare in return.

"What're you laughing at?"

"Nothing, it's just that this is the first time I've seen someone drink Martini like that."

She flushed and became flustered as he said those words.

"I- it's just tasty to me that way!"

"I guess we all have our own preferences."

Izumo smiled again; her reaction was priceless. Her dishonesty seemed to have softened her ice cold expression as she began to pout…

"Ah, what's your name?"

"Kusanagi Izumo, the owner of this bar. Yours?"

"Awashima Seri."

"I'll call you 'Seri-chan' then."

"Don't give me nicknames!"

The two were enjoying their conversation so much that they didn't notice a certain someone sulking at the door. He didn't like Izumo smiling at another woman when Izumo hadn't smiled at him like that for ages.

Mikoto wasn't happy, not at all.

* * *

Yuki: It's been a long time~ It's my assignment week next week so I may not have time to update, I'm sorry. /sobs

Yosh, so in this chapter, Mikoto finally shows signs of jealousy and there will be finally a little progress between them in the next chapter. I know it's better to follow the animation but since I wanted to describe the depth of their bonds, I decided to write the fanfic this way by adding in original ideas. For once, perhaps, I may be writing something less angst than usual~

Thank you for the reviews as per usual~ They help a lot!

See you next time~


	4. Chapter 3: Red Passion

Red Puzzle

Story by: Yuki

Author's words: Any further updates after the next few chapters are warned to be different from the animation; the last few chapters will be focusing on an original character and ending itself.

* * *

Perhaps, it had been his imagination but Mikoto seemed more grouchy than usual that day. Even though Izumo hadn't spoken to him the entire day, Mikoto was glaring him with a scary expression on his face even during dinner with the others.

Izumo was feeling uncomfortable with that gaze of his… Did he do something to make Mikoto angry? Well, not that he knew of at the moment. Perhaps, Mikoto was just feeling moody?

Maybe he just feels irritated by me?

Negative thoughts clouded his mind and things didn't change after a week. Mikoto didn't seem to find it tiring by glaring at Izumo everyday but that intense glare of his appeared was wearing Izumo down.

How long was he going to keep this up? Mikoto was hard enough to keep up with usually but he was making it harder to understand his intentions now.

"Mikoto, what are you thinking?"

"What?"

"Your glares are disturbing."

It was raining outside and everyone else wasn't around that day. It was just Izumo and Mikoto in the bar.

Izumo was on the verge of losing his temper but Mikoto's reply made him freeze…

"Do you like me?"

His heart was filled with mixed feelings. The feelings he sealed away were coming back after just one sentence, his calm looking face was cringing in slight pain as the cracks of the broken mask began to show. Izumo grasped onto the glass cup he was holding onto tightly, trying to control himself.

"W-what are you saying? Everyone here likes you, don't they?"

Mikoto didn't seem too happy with Izumo's general answer as he stood up and cornered Izumo.

"Are you seriously going to keep this up?"

As Izumo tried to struggle, he dropped the glass cup and hurried to pick it up the glass shards. The shards in his hands were shaking as Izumo tried to calm himself down; his heart wouldn't stop beating and his determination to let things stay the way they were wavered. His uncertainty was interrupted by the prick of the glass and red liquid began to spread throughout his shaking hand…

"Give it here."

Mikoto took Izumo's injured hand by force, as he licked the wound gently. His eyes were that of a piercing stare, passionate and possessive. Izumo didn't know what to do; he couldn't move a single inch except let the beating of his heart echo within him.

"Want to go on?"

Izumo then smacked Mikoto's hand away with much embarrassment and walked away.

"I'm closing the bar early, you should go now."

"Can't I sleep in today?"

"No."

Just then, a familiar female figure walked in. It was Awashima Seri.

"Seri-chan!"

As Izumo let a look of surprise escape his previously embarrassed face, he prepared to welcome her into the bar.

"I thought you said you were closing the bar."

"She came in before I prepared to close it so it's fine."

Mikoto's face began to twist in anger and Seri had noticed it.

"I'll come again another time."

"Don't come again."

"Mikoto! I'm sorry, Seri-chan… He's a little moody today—"

"It's okay, I have work to do. See you next time…"

As she left, Seri got a good guess of what happened before she arrived. She wasn't that stupid to interrupt the two and of course, she wasn't interested in making enemies with Mikoto.

"Mikoto, I have the right to invite whoever I want into the bar. What's with your attitude today anyway?"

"Just not that woman."

"Look, Seri-chan is a good girl. She—"

"Seri, Seri, Seri— Is she such a good woman?!"

Mikoto lost his temper and anger was showing in his eyes, it was the first time Izumo had ever seen him so angry but he wasn't going to back down either.

"She is, so what? I have the right to choose who I want to be with!"

Mikoto cursed as he pushed open the door of the bar.

"Suit yourself."

His mood just got worse after he got greeted by a gang of brats who picked a fight with him. Mikoto felt his anger erupt in the middle of the fight and a sudden blast of red flames surrounded him while the ancient sword hung right above him… At that time, he still had no idea what had happened… Everything nearby was set on fire but he didn't feel the heat at all as if… As if he was part of the flames himself.

"It's the Red King!"

That's when Mikoto realised, he became something he never wanted to be.

* * *

Yuki: I've been on hiatus for the past 2 months, I'm so sorry. The assignments and exams were really getting to me and a whole lot of problems popped up with my projects. /sob I promise to work on the fanfics asap; I just finished typing this chapter after figuring out the exact flow of the fanfic for this series.

Well, firstly as I've warned above, further chapters, probably after the next chapter, an original character will be introduced and the story may change drastically from the original animation after a few more chapters. What I have in mind is a original ending(if I do manage to pull it off with proper concepts) so some of you may or may not like it. Just a warning because I don't usually upload stories I type for OCs, but for Red Puzzle I decided to go for a different ending so hopefully I manage to get it done.

Next, I'm really curious but does anyone actually ship Gold x Silver King? I was thinking of writing a short mini story for them as a oneshot but I wasn't really sure if anyone actually supports them. LOL

Lastly, I know some, Idk how many actually, have been waiting really long for me to update this series. I'm really sorry, I'll try to type out as much as I can during my free time.

For AoKi fans, I'm sorry because I've been stuck with a new oneshot for AoKi that I really can't figure out a way to get through where I'm stuck at so once I get pass wherever I'm stuck at I'll update. I'm almost done with the last few extra chapters of Love At First Sight as well...

There's also another oneshot related to the anime series I used to like and I'm halfway done with the oneshot, hopefully it'll see the light of day soon haha...

Thank you for all the support this whole time even though I was on hiatus.

Thank you all for waiting for updates.

And thank you all for following Red Puzzle in particular; it's the one series I'm having so many problems with the concepts.


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